Roberto Prosseda, pianist

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music, and who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

I started playing the piano at the age of three. At that time, the piano was simply the biggest of my toys. I’ve always preferred the term musical life over career. Making music is not a job for me, nor a means to achieve personal or professional success. Of course, a successful career is welcome—but I see that as a sort of collateral effect.

A musical life, instead, suggests that our entire existence is shaped by music: by what we play, what we hear, and how we experience the world through sound. Music allows us to live more deeply and intensely, helping us become more aware of our moods, refine our emotional sensitivity, improve our connection with others, and sharpen our intuition.

As a child, I wasn’t conscious of this, but I was drawn to the piano’s magic—its ability to transport me to different times and places. One of my favourite pieces when I was 12 was Schumann’s Kinderszenen, especially No. 1: Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (“Of Foreign Lands and People”). For me, it was what the metaverse might be for a teenager today. Music is its own metaverse.

Even today, I still approach the piano with that same playful curiosity—discovering new colours and emotional landscapes that can carry me and my audience to other worlds.

Among those who inspired me, I’d mention Alexander Lonquich, Boris Petrushansky, Charles Rosen, Fou Ts’ong, and Karl Ulrich Schnabel. Each of them brought something unique, personal, and unpredictable to their musical thinking, and opened new perspectives in my own approach.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

The biggest challenge, still today, is balancing the demands of a professional music career with the need to remain true to our artistic and personal growth. The music industry tends to favour reliability and image over introspection and individuality. Many talented musicians risk losing their unique voice to meet the expectations of the market—touring non-stop, spending more time in airports than in nature, and having little time to reflect or renew their artistic vision.

For me, the greatest challenge has been preserving space for silence, thought, and discovery—while maintaining a sustainable concert activity. Now that I’ve passed the age of 50, I feel freer. The pressure I felt in my 30s has faded. I enjoy music more deeply, with more time for teaching, research, recording, and—above all—my family, which remains my priority.

Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?

I see recordings as a snapshot of a specific moment in one’s artistic path. I’m generally happy with mine, even though I would naturally play things differently today than I did twenty years ago. I’ve devoted much energy to rare and unpublished repertoire, which I see as a cultural service. I encourage my students to do the same. Among the recordings I’m particularly proud of, I would mention Felix Mendelssohn’s Complete Piano Works (10 CDs, Decca), the two Gounod albums (Decca’s Gounod Piano Works and Hyperion’s Concertos for piano-pédalier) and the recent Hyperion album War Silence, featuring four rare Italian piano concertos.

When I record well-known repertoire, like Mozart, I seek to reveal fresh interpretive insights. For example, in my Mozart recordings I applied the expressive freedom that comes naturally when playing a 1790 fortepiano—yet used a brand-new Fazioli piano. I also used an unequal temperament tuning to step outside the “orthodox” performance traditions, which can sometimes limit our expressive freedom. For my new Beethoven Sonatas recordings I decided to use a Graf original fortepiano (1820), which is also inspiring me with its own personality and sound.

Which composers/works do you think you perform best?

Today, I feel particularly at ease with Mozart, Schubert, and Mendelssohn, having played most of their solo and chamber music. I know their expressive language well, and that helps me communicate their world more fluently.

That said, I also love playing Chopin and want to devote more time to exploring his Nocturnes, Ballades, and Mazurkas. Chopin, too, benefits from a historically informed approach. We have rich documentation—pupil accounts, piano roll recordings—that give insight into his phrasing and expressive intentions.

Unfortunately, many performers still rely on a “received tradition” rather than investigating the sources. I believe we can find great inspiration in the recordings of pianists like Mikuli, Koczalski, Friedman, and Hofmann—artists whose approaches, though less known today, can help us reconnect with Chopin’s deeper musical essence.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

My choices follow two parallel tracks. On one hand, recording projects give focus to my research and interpretation, often involving both modern and historical instruments (including an original Graf fortepiano I use regularly). On the other hand, some programs are shaped by collaborations and opportunities. For example, my long-standing relationship with Palazzetto Bru Zane, a foundation promoting French Romantic music, has led to projects like the Bizet album I’ve just completed, and a program of lesser-known French contemporaries of Beethoven.

Unlike some of my colleagues who prefer to focus on one or two programs per season, I enjoy variety. Routine is one of the greatest enemies of artistic vitality. I stay creatively alive by constantly discovering new repertoire and exploring unfamiliar territory.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform, and why?

Living in Italy, I’m surrounded by beautiful theatres. Some of my favourites include: Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza (by Palladio). Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Teatro Bibiena in Mantua. These venues are steeped in history and architectural beauty. Performing in such places deepens the emotional connection between music, audience, and space. It’s as if the venue itself participates in the music-making.

What do you do offstage that provides inspiration onstage?

Nature is my greatest source of inspiration. I often hike in the mountains or cycle in the countryside. After hours of practice, taking my bike out is a way of clearing my mind—letting the music settle, much like a plant absorbing water and sunlight.

Books, films, conversations, and different landscapes are also vital nourishment. In addition to performing, I organize festivals. I co-founded the Patmos Music Festival in 2022 with Massimo Fino. Now in its fourth year, it takes place on the island of Patmos—where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation. I also curate events for Cremona Musica International Exhibition and Festival, which draws over 20,000 musicians and music lovers every September. These activities aren’t distractions—they’re extensions of my musical identity.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

One of the most magical was performing Mendelssohn’s Third Piano Concerto with Riccardo Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig. Fortunately, it was recorded on a Decca album.

But some of my most moving concerts were much more intimate—performing for oncology patients as part of the Donatori di Musica project. In those moments, you realize music isn’t about showcasing skill—it’s about sharing beauty, presence, and human connection. http://www.donatoridimusica.com

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

In Italian, successo means “what happened.” So, success is a consequence—not a goal. It’s the natural outcome of vision, method, and honesty.

Charles Rosen once told me that the most important quality in a musician is obstinacy. I completely agree. Success, then, is what happens when we remain stubbornly faithful to our artistic voice.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music audiences?

Every musician should take responsibility for audience development. Rather than lamenting low attendance, we should ask: What can I do to connect more people with music?

Social media is a powerful tool in this mission. I started uploading interpretive videos to YouTube to support my students, and I was surprised by how many non-musicians watched and shared them. Today, after concerts, people often tell me: “I came because I saw you on YouTube.” Not “I heard your CD.”

Online platforms aren’t a threat—they’re an opportunity.

What’s the one thing in the music industry we’re not talking about, which you think we should?

Artificial Intelligence. In the coming years, AI systems may be capable of teaching, performing, even generating recordings tailored to individual preferences. What can’t be replicated, though, is artistic individuality—an unpredictable, human voice. That’s what we must cultivate and protect.

What advice would you give to young or aspiring musicians?

Be proud of your humanity—and your imperfections. Your individuality, sensitivity, and sincerity are your most precious assets. Nurture them with care.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Doing what you love, in the way you love doing it. For musicians, that means creating the music you believe in, with freedom and joy. That is a rare and beautiful form of happiness.

Roberto Prosseda’s release LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN – Sonatas Opus 2 is available now. He took a very unique approach to this recording, deciding to record on a modern piano. Prosseda says, “I do not believe that there is a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ instrument on which to perform Beethoven’s Sonatas Opus 2. What matters is the musical result. It depends on the alchemy that is created between the performer and the instrument. Before I came to choose the Graf No. 429, I tried at length various modern copies of fortepiano from 1795 – 1800, trying to get closer to the sound and expressive world of early Beethoven. However, having the opportunity of having a Graf fortepiano (No. 429) in my studio, restored in 2023, I was able to prepare this recording on that instrument, playing it regularly for a year, achieving a kind of familiarity with its action and timbral response that I have grown fond of.”